


A Pebble in her Shoe

by Sueperb



Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-27 06:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8390914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sueperb/pseuds/Sueperb
Summary: What would have happened if Claire had found a pebble in her shoe. Starts just after they realise they can't locate the Indominus.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> With original lines from the film. I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible (for a story about genetically modified dinosaurs).

This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not three weeks from opening. As she reached the bottom of the metal stairway and started towards her car, Claire felt a pebble wedge itself between her little toe and the top of her left shoe. She stopped next to the car and took her shoe off. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Owen and the paunchy security guard walking down the stairs and making their way to the feeders' door on the other side of the paddock. She realised that they were going to try and enter the cage when the I-Rex could still be near. Once she got rid of the bothersome rock, she started back towards them while hitting the control room's number on her phone.  
They had already gone through both heavy doors when Lowery picked up.  
'We have an asset out of containment. Put ACU on alert. This is not a drill.' She could hear the panic in her voice. She walked through the first door and waited inside the dark room filled with the now abandoned feeders' paraphernalia.  
'Yeah. Hello ?'  
'Lowery. Get me coordinates on the Indominus.'  
'Okay, yeah. I'm doing it right now.'  
Owen was almost halfway to the large paddock gate by now, the security guard trailing behind, less assured of the safety of their mission.  
'Wait, what the hell? It's in the cage.' Lowery's voice came crackling over the line.  
'No, that's impossible. I'm there now. She climbed up the wall, there are scratch marks all over it.'  
'Claire, I'm telling you, she's in the cage. Wait a sec. There are people in there.'  
She hung up the phone.  
'OWEN !!! Get out, get out now, it's still in here !!'  
They had heard her. And as they turned around and started running towards the door, everyone heard HER. She was near. Too near. They'd never make it on time.  
Claire had her eyes fixed on Owen. He was by far the furthest away.  
'Come on, come on !' she muttered to herself. She barely registered the guard getting in and out the second door in a wheezing blur.  
A tree fell down in the distance and she came out of the scenery, metres behind Owen. She was huge. Bigger than the T-rex and twice as scary. Her powerful front legs ended in long clawed fingers. Her face was skull-like and her open mouth showed more sharp teeth than Claire could count. She was headed her way.  
Claire turned to the wall and taped her security pass on the door monitor. The screen came to life and she slammed her hand on the CLOSE button. The heavy door started to move. Owen was almost there but she was gaining on him. A few more strides... He squeezed past at the last second, grabbed her by the arm and pinned her to the wall, sheltering her with his body. They heard the final clang of the door and the deafening sound of the dinosaur crashing into it. The walls shook as they held on to each other for dear life. Outside, the I-rex roared loudly and seemed to admit defeat as they heard her retreat into the jungle.

They stayed still. Claire looked up to Owen and he rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed, his body heaving with each breath.  
'Thanks' he murmured. They were alive. They were safe.  
'You're welcome'. She said weakly. He opened his eyes and stared into hers. The relief she had felt a second ago was replaced by a jolt in the pit of her stomach. His hands were still holding her forearms and she could feel her skin burn underneath his fingertips. She was hypnotised by the flakes of gold in the green irises.  
Her phone started to vibrate in her hand and the spell was broken. She picked up the call and Owen retreated a few steps.  
'Claire, it's Simon. Everyone ok ?'  
'Mr Masrani, everyone's fine. The asset is secure. We're on our way back now.' They walked briskly out into the sun and towards the car. Now that they were moving again, she could feel anger starting to rise. Something had gone very wrong.  
Owen nodded towards her phone 'Can I ?'  
'Mr Masrani, Owen Grady would like a word.' As she handed him the phone, she noticed her anger mirrored in Owen's face. His jaw was set and she had a feeling he wasn't about to be diplomatic.  
'What the hell happened out there ?'  
'Owen...'  
'There are thermal cameras all over that paddock. She did not just disappear!'  
'The cameras must be faulty'  
'Were you not watching? She marked up that wall as a distraction. She wanted us to think she escaped!'  
'Do you really think she's smart enough ?'  
'Depends on what they cooked up in that lab. I would have a word with your scientists because that thing in there is no dinosaur'


	2. Chapter 2

Claire was driving the car with agility down the dirt tracks. In the passenger seat, Owen was thinking about the meeting ahead. He needed Claire on his side to convince Masrani to drop the project. She was his right hand woman, after all. She would have traction with him. After a few minutes, he decided to break the silence.

'Do you see now, why this is a mistake ?' he asked calmly.

'I can see that it's not ready for the public yet. But hopefully, with your help, we can make the necessary changes.' she answered in her usual cool voice. Owen shifted his body to face her.

'You're kidding, right ? That thing nearly killed us !'

'Only because you went into the cage before we could trace its location.'

Owen couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had thought that Claire was angry for the same reason he was. 

'Are you seriously gonna pin this on me ? So what, your thermal cameras had blind spots you didn't tell me about ? You knew there was a chance it was still in there when you stormed out...'

'You should have waited for my instructions !' her eyes were still focused on the road but she had dropped all pretense at calmness. 'There are 20,000 other people in this park, Owen and your reckless actions could have had terrible consequences for them too !'

He was speechless. He had never seen Claire lose her temper before. Not that he was complaining, if anything it made her more human, more approachable. She cared. And he couldn't fault her for that. Unfortunately, she seemed to particularly care about him being responsible for today's events.

'That beast you created, it's dangerous, whether you want to admit it or not !'

'So is the T-rex, so is the Mosasaurus and so are your raptors. We are used to handling dangerous creatures here. That's our job' she said in a sardonic tone 'and so far no one has died under my watch. It's not going to start today.'

'And that's commandable but it's gonna get a whole lot harder if you keep creating dinosaurs by playing Russian roulette with their genome. You're blind, Claire, if you think this is business as usual. She's unlike anything you've had in your park before and you're unprepared.'

'Hold on, we're talking about an animal here, not enemy forces.'

'A highly intelligent animal. This was her first attempt at escaping. There will be more.'

Claire opened her mouth to reply but seemed to think better of it. Owen wasn't sure if he'd managed to convince her but they had reached the Innovation Centre and she was already parking the car in her allocated space.

Owen rarely came to the building, preferring to share his time on the island between the raptor paddock, his bungalow and the bars on Main Street. He followed Claire through the packed ground floor to the restricted area at the back that led to the maze of underground offices and other staff facilities and came out again as the control centre almost a mile away.

Claire's office was exactly halfway between the two buildings. It was a large and impersonal room filled with modern furniture. Light streamed into it through the long and narrow window at the top of the wall furthest from the door. Simon Masrani was standing in the middle, waiting for them.

'Claire, Owen, how are you ?'

'We're fine. Considering.' Owen was about to protest but she shot him a look of warning as she went round her desk.

'I'm glad to hear it.' They all sat down. 'I've just had a talk with Dr Wu, it was... illuminating.' He seemed preoccupied, almost worried.

'Did he tell you why she could hide from thermal cameras ?' Owen asked, eager to get answers quickly.

'Yes.' Masrani hesitated 'among other things. Her genetic make up is varied and unique. We had no way of predicting what features she would develop.'

'That didn't seem to have bothered you...'

'What does that mean for the attraction ?' Claire cut in 'We're suppose to open in three weeks.'

'Not anymore' the CEO was back to his resolute self 'we're pushing back the opening. Date to be determined. I don't want the public near it until we've learned more about her behaviour. You'll handle it ?' he was looking at Claire.

'Of course. We'll spin it as extra security measures, better safe than sorry, don't want to repeat mistakes of old park, etc. But It will have a financial cost.'

'I know. Tell marketing to refund all pre-bookings.' he got up and they all imitated him 'Owen, I'll need your help too. I wanted you to see her so you could tell us what we were doing wrong. I'll be waiting for your suggestions. I'm sure you have many.' He started to walk out.

'Yeah, I do. My first suggestion is that you kill that monster and your entire genetic modification project. The whole thing is insane.'

Masrani stopped at the door and let out a sigh. 'I can't and I won't. The Indominus alone is a 26 million investment. It's happening, Owen. Genetic modification is the future of this park.' He was almost out when he turned around and said 'Oh and Claire ? Take care of this today, will you. You're off work for the rest of the week' he smiled at the look of shock on her face 'Your assistant told me you had company, you should enjoy it.' He winked and left the room.

Owen turned to look at Claire. Her face had reddened and she was tapping on her phone frantically.

'I'll walk you out' she said, not looking at him, as she put the device to her ear. Owen followed her. He was curious to know what had flustered Claire Dearing so. Sure, it could simply be the idea of time off. After all, the Park Operations Manager was widely known to be a workaholic. However, that implied having no private life and Masrani had said that she had company. It could be family. Owen vaguely remembered her mentioning a sister on their date. It could also be a boyfriend. As amused as he was by her embarrassment, that particular thought did not cheer him up.

'Zara, where are you ?' her assistant had finally picked up 'Slow down, I can't hear you'. Owen could just hear a panicked voice at the end of the line. 'It's ok, I'll take care of it. Go back to the office.' She hang up.

'Everything ok ?' Owen couldn't help but ask as he called the elevator.

'Uh ? Oh yeah, it's fine. Everything is under control.'

She was back on another call before he could add anything.

'Zach, it's Claire. Where are you ?'

The elevator arrived and he stepped in. She pointed at her phone and gave him a small wave, indicating that he should go on without her. He pressed the button for the ground floor and the doors closed but not before he caught the end of her conversation.

'Margaritaville. I'll book a table for 8pm.'

 

He was fresh off the boat when he'd asked Claire on a date. He didn't know much about her except that he didn't work for her and that she was the most stunning woman on the island by far. The date had been a disaster but he had walked out with a feeling of unfinished business. He was certain that it could have led to something more, if only Claire had let her guard down. Her immunity to his charms was a first for Owen Grady who usually had no difficulties seducing women. But Claire was something else. Nothing he could say or do had impressed her. If anything, she had unsettled _him_.

And then she had saved his life from the Indominus. He could still see the mix of terror and determination in her eyes as he had ran towards her and the closing paddock door. He could still feel her body against his, their heart beating against each other, their eyes meeting and everything that had been left unsaid in that look. He had wanted to kiss her then. He should have kissed her.

 

By the time he was out in the sun, he had made up his mind. He was going to go back to the Raptor paddock and suggest to take Barry out for drinks tonight. After all, he'd escaped death twice today, he deserved to go out. It wasn't his fault if Margaritaville happened to have the best tequilas on the island.

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long !

It was all well and good of Mr Masrani to give her the week off to spend with her nephews, but now that they were all sat in the restaurant she was at a loss to find something to say that would interest them. What did teenage boys like nowadays?

Gray was easy, he had spent the last twenty minutes recounting their day with enthusiasm. Anything remotely related to dinosaurs was of interest to him. Zach, however, seemed to be forever sulking.

They hadn't spent a lot of time together yet, but she was already starting to understand the dynamic between the two brothers. Gray looked to be seeking Zach's admiration in everything he said and Zach looked... at girls. Karen had been right; it was better if someone was with them at all times.

After the day she'd had, however, Claire was too tired to play the buffer. Instead, she had decided to hide behind her menu and pretend to listen to Gray tell her about the Mosasaurus for the third time. She couldn't even think about the food. The adrenaline that had filled her when she had helped Owen escape from the I-rex had continued to act through the meeting with Masrani and trying to cram one week's worth of work in an afternoon. Now, it was all gone and she could feel the exhaustion weight on her shoulders. She struggled to concentrate on what was written in front of her. The restaurant was packed and too noisy. She was so lost in thoughts that she hadn't noticed that Gray had finished his story until he said to his brother 'They're not looking at you, they're looking at  _him._ ' His angry tone made her look up from the menu she was holding. They were both staring at the bar, Zach with sullen envy and Gray with annoyed curiosity.

'Aunt Claire, does he work here at the park?' he asked.

'Who are you talking about?' He pointed at the bar and she turned around in her seat to get a better view of the object of their attention. There stood Owen Grady surrounded by a group of girls. Tourists, if their casual attires and sunburn were anything to go by. Further along, she noticed Owen's assistant and wing man Barry, charming another group of women by imitating what she thought looked like a hunting raptor.

Lovely. So, that was where Owen brought ALL his dates. Suddenly, the feeling she'd had all day of sharing something special with him was gone. She hadn't been special. She was just his colleague. Sure, there had been one date but it had not ended well and they'd had virtually no contact since then. Until today where she had done nothing but berate him for his lack of professionalism. Great.

As she pondered this, Owen looked up at her and smiled with his usual dose of cockiness. She had been staring and he had caught her in the act. She could feel herself blush as she nodded and hastily turned back in her seat. Gray was staring at her.

'So?'

'Oh, yeah he's, erm...'

'Coming this way.' Zach finished her sentence.

It only took three words, Claire realised, to make her pulse quicken and her heart beat a fierce tattoo in her chest. She was a powerful woman with a successful career yet her body reacted to men as if she was in high school. No, not to all men. Just to this one.

Owen Grady was about to meet her nephews, she had to pull herself together or the boys would notice and they would mention him to Karen. And that, was the last thing Claire wanted. She managed to compose her face into a neutral mask moments before Owen's shadow fell on their table.

'Claire, long time no see.'

He was standing over them, grinning confidently.

'Owen, you seem to be everywhere today.' she said with a polite smile.

'Well technically I was at the bar but I saw you and it looked like you wanted me.' he added the last words in a slightly lower voice, his eyes locked on hers. He knew what he was doing. He wasn't flirting with her, he was pushing her buttons. That's what they did. Claire rolled her eyes. She could think of many witty retorts but the boys were watching the scene with attentive eyes.

'Actually, my nephews had a few questions for you.' she said turning towards Gray in a kind way that reminded her of a teacher putting a young pupil on the spot during a school visit. The boy didn't need telling twice.

'Do you work with dinosaurs?' Owen turned to him with interest.

'I do.'

'Which kind?'

'Velociraptors. You ever heard of them?'

'Yeah, they're my favourites! Can we see them?’ he asked while pulling a crumpled park map out of his belt pack ‘They’re on the map but they’re not opened to visitors, why is that? What do you do with them?' his head went from Owen to Claire and back with anticipation.

‘Wow, slow down kid! That’s a lot of questions!’

In a flash, Claire’s problem-solving mind saw a chance to be left out of the conversation until the end of dinner and, she admitted unwillingly, to spend more time studying Owen today. Before she knew it, she was saying ‘We were about to order, why don’t you join us? I’m sure Gray has a lot more to ask you.’

She barely caught the look of surprise that crossed his face. He was trying, almost successfully, to hide his confusion. _Good_ , she thought, _that’s shut him up_. She was tired of always be the one taken aback. Two could play at this game, Mr Grady.

His confident mask had only slipped for a second, however, before he shrugged and said ‘yeah, sure’ and took the empty chair next to hers. From the looks on her nephews’ face, she knew that her acquaintance with the impressive man had gone some way to win their respect.

The waiter came and took their orders, huge burgers for the boys, shrimp salad for Claire. Once they were rid of their menus and Owen had taken a large swig of his beer, the conversation started again.

‘So, Gray, is it?’ Gray nodded. ‘The raptors aren’t opened to visitors because they’re a research project.’

‘A confidential research project.’ Claire couldn’t help but interject. Owen chose to ignore her. ‘My job is to train them to see how much they can learn.’

‘You train velociraptors? Wow…’ This time it was Zach’s turn to be impressed. You didn’t need to be an expert to know that velociraptors were the smartest most dangerous animals on the island… as far as the public knew.

‘How many have you got?’ Gray asked.

‘A pack of four.’

‘Can we see them tomorrow?’

‘Absolutely not.’ Claire had good reasons to keep the boys away from the raptors. She had promised Karen that they’d be safe and showing them the most dangerous animals on the island guarded by the most laid back trainer wasn’t her idea of safe. They had all turned towards her in surprise. ‘It’s dangerous. That’s why it’s not open to visitors.’

‘What’s the point of knowing the park’s manager if we can’t go behind the scenes, then?’ asked Zach.

‘It’s not a question of who you know. I won’t allow it and that’s that.’ Claire had to be firm. She could tell Owen was looking at her intently but she avoided his gaze.

‘But, Aunt Claire, if we’re with Owen we’ll be ok! He wouldn’t let them hurt us.’ Gray pleaded.

‘Come on, Claire, I’ll keep them safe.’ said Owen seriously. ‘Besides’ he added with a mischievous grin ‘not letting them go would be admitting that your precious park isn’t safe. Now, you wouldn’t want to do that, would you?’

She couldn’t believe it. The cheek of his remark added to his defiance of her authority, she couldn’t let that go.

‘My park is safe, thank you very much but the raptor paddock belongs to InGen and one of your staff lost a leg just a couple of months ago. And don’t think I don’t know about your new trainee falling into the paddock this morning.’ Owen winced at her last few words. He looked like he had hoped she wouldn’t know.

‘What happened?’ asked Gray with eyes the size of saucers.

Owen nervously scratched the back of his head before answering. ‘One of the pigs we use for hunting practice escaped. A trainee tried to recapture it with a leash from the gangway but he lost his balance and fell in. The girls went after him.’

‘Did he die?’ asked Zach.

‘Nah, I…’ he briefly stared at Claire ‘I went in and got him out.’

‘Wow’. Both her nephews seemed in awe of him and Claire couldn’t completely blame them. She had seen the video footage and had been impressed herself by his courage and power over the animals. Mentioning it, however, didn’t seem to have the desired effect. Zach and Gray looked even more determined to go now. At that moment, her feelings for Owen were somewhere between anger and trust. She just couldn’t decide which one was more prominent. She closed her eyes for a moment and said ‘I’ll think about it, OK.’ This got her a cheer from the boys and a curious smile from Owen.

 

The rest of the meal went on rather more smoothly. Zach and Gray bombarded Owen with questions about the raptors and his life in the Navy training dolphins. Claire couldn’t help but join in the questioning. She learned more about him then than she had during their date. She suspected that he felt the same as the boys told him about their life in Madison and, embarrassingly for Claire, their aunt’s youth (‘Aunt Claire used to love dolphins, her bedroom wallpaper is covered in them at grandma Dearing’s.’). She was worried by Owen’s interest in her life. She felt sure that he was collecting embarrassing anecdotes to use against her later.

After they had eaten their weight in meat, the boys’ enthusiasm started to waver. ‘Time to get you back to the hotel. It’s been a long day.’ Claire announced. The fact that they didn’t protest was a sign of how tired they were. The four of them made their way around the artificial lake to the hotel and has they reached the entrance, Gray had Owen promise him that they would see the raptors before they left. ‘It’s not me you should ask, kid’ he answered.

‘Aunt Claire?’

‘I said I’d think about it.’

They said their goodbyes and went in, leaving Owen and Claire alone.

‘Thank you.’ Claire said ‘I think they had fun.’

‘Don’t mention it. They’re good kids.’

‘Yeah. They are. Although I think they prefer you to me now.’ she added with a laugh.

‘Don’t say that. You’re their aunt. Nothing can replace family.’

‘Thanks. I hope you’re right.’ He had the same intense look he’d had several times today when looking at her. As if he was trying to read her mind. She could feel herself melting under his gaze but had to look away. They were in the middle of the park surrounded by CCTV cameras. Around them, people were coming in and out of the hotel. She decided to change the subject.

‘Will you be ok getting home?’ she asked, thinking of the two beers he’d had during dinner and wondering if two pints would have any effect on a man of his size.

Owen looked away and shuffled his feet nervously. ‘Actually, Barry was my ride’. She rolled her eyes and smiled at him. ‘Come, I’ll drive you.’

 

As they drove to his bungalow, she found that Owen was the perfect companion after a long day at work. Unlike the clients and officials she was expected to entertain round the clock when they visited the island, Owen was very low maintenance. She didn’t need to talk or fuss or worry. It felt very natural to drive without talking, the radio on as background noise, Owen gently humming along. She tried driving slower than usual to make the trip last longer but eventually, they reached their destination.

‘There you are.’

‘Thanks. And thanks for the evening. I had a good time.’ he said as he undid his safety belt.

‘Me too. Good night, Owen.’ he had to leave. She was already too comfortable in his presence and if he stayed longer he would notice.

‘Good night’ he answered and got out of the car. She watched him walk to his front door, stop, and turn back towards the car. She quickly glanced through the cabin to check if he had forgotten anything but he was already knocking on the driver’s window. She opened it wide and he rested his forearms on the edge, lowering his head to her level. He was closer to her than he had been since he had held her in the I-rex’s feeder room. The memory brought back the butterflies she had felt in the pit of her stomach.

‘Claire’ his voice was low ‘I never thanked you for saving my life this morning.’

‘Oh… but you did, don’t worry.’ she answered nervously.

‘Not properly’

As he said it he closed the small gap between them and kissed her. The million reasons why this shouldn’t be happening evaporated as she kissed him back. It was a full minute until they broke apart, catching their breaths. Claire could see her shy smile reflected on his face. Slowly, he backed away.

‘I’ll see you at the paddock tomorrow.’ he said with a wink. And with that he was gone, leaving Claire in a slight state of shock.


End file.
